Design Guidelines and Pattern Books

More
local governments are using design guidelines and pattern books as methods for
creating, preserving, or reinforcing the distinctive architectural character of
an area. Design guidelines typically
regulate building scale, façade, and landscaping to ensure new development fits
in with the surrounding area and preserves a sense of place. They include more detail than a general plan,
but allow more flexibility than zoning regulations.

Design
guidelines usually take one of two forms: prescriptive or descriptive. Prescriptive guidelines are more regulatory
and rigid and usually require that certain design elements are included or
excluded in a project’s plans. These
guidelines are less open to interpretation, restricting creativity but ensuring
design control. Descriptive guidelines
are adaptable to site conditions and allow for more creativity by encouraging
or discouraging certain design elements.
These guidelines are more open to interpretation, making enforcement
more difficult but providing flexibility for developers.

Design
guidelines regulate new development through a set of standards for site design,
landscape design, architecture, materials, colors, lighting, and signs that
maintain a certain level of quality for architectural or historic
features. They may apply to
single-family, multi-family, commercial, retail, neighborhood, downtown,
transportation corridor, historic, or special district development.

Similarly,
pattern books can be used to document and create a vision for the architectural
character of an area as enforced by design guidelines. Pattern books are organized similar to design
guidelines, but focus more on the historic architecture and value of a
community by documenting traditional design and building materials.

Design
guidelines usually include an introduction of the community’s character and
history, a goal or vision statement, a guide for following the regulations,
private and public guidelines, and a discussion of the administrative process
for implementing the guidelines. The guidelines
are characterized by a clear structure moving from strategic to more detailed
regulations and illustrations that display preferred or prohibited development
types. The guidelines may regulate
settlement patterns, urban or rural form, urban or rural space, land use, right
of way treatment, site development, building form, building placement,
landscaping, architectural vocabulary, and signage themes.

The first step in creating design
guidelines or pattern books is to create a team or task force that will
initiate the process, dictate the work program, schedule, and leadership,
coordinate input into the process, and assist in assessing community context
and developing policy goals. The
appointed oversight body should then begin appraising local context, including:
the existing policy framework, such as general plan and zoning designations,
design characteristics and materials, and historical design elements. A neighborhood audit or street inventory is
an important part of this practice, allowing local governments to record data
on the physical features of a neighborhood or community, compare those features
to historic conditions, and identify existing issues and opportunities. Once the background information has been
collected, the task force may begin to outline the design guidelines or pattern
books by deciding on the nature of the guidelines, the types of development
affected, and the desired goals or outcomes.
Public outreach is an important part of this process and local
governments should solicit the input of stakeholders, developers, and residents
through community meetings or town charrettes where the group may identify
benefits, problems, and solutions together.
After formalizing and adopting the design guidelines or pattern book,
local governments should implement the regulations when approving development applications. Local governments should continuously enforce
design guideline compliance and manage future regulation evaluation and
refinements.

A joint initiative of San Joaquin Valley Councils of Governments representing each of the region's eight counties, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, the Great Valley Center, and the Fresno State Community and Regional Planning Center